Gravitational Waves boss, Nephil, never looses his shadow and always comes with specific ideas bout his own productions. With “Scienz Of Life” investigates obscure forces and spaces around him, clearly improving and experimenting thru genres and structures with frenetic percussions, persistent noises, sires synths and acid blood with what you can commonly call hip-hop, drums & bass, electro, industrial, distorted beats.
A Philosophy of Tracking was a vinyl LP album that came with the Legowelt Polyend Tracker hardware sequencer/sampler released in 2021. All songs were made on this machine. This digital release has a bunch of extra tracks that were not on the LP. The Polyend Tracker is a Polish electronic music instrument, a hardware version of 1990s tracker music software like Protracker and Octamed. Originating mainly on the Commodore Amiga and PC computers this software could extensively sequence sound samples. Starting thousands of music careers, they enabled more then ever anyone with just a cheap computer to make releasable music in their bedroom without the need of expensive music gear. It played a vital role in the development of many electronic music styles: Jungle, Gabber, Breakcore and The Hague electronix to name a few. In 2021 Polyend released the TRACKER Legowelt edition. Sporting a custom faceplate designed by Legowelt and including 5000 samples from his studio. it also came with a bunch of tracks: “.mod files” that could be studied, altered or whatever you waned to do with. This album is mainly a selection of these tracks with some vocoder/vocals added. All songs.were made on the tracker, except vocals and vocoder which were done on a ZOOM1201, Korg RK100S, Roland VT-5 and some reverb and delay effects from an Alesis Midiverb 4.
Cucina Povera and Ben Vince’s debut full-length collaboration deploys an engrossing suite of noirish nocturnes based around Maria Rossi aka Cucina Povera’s muzzy vocal loops and Ben Vince’s accompaniments on saxophone, synth and piano. Born out of wonder, innocence and creative discovery, it’s the sound of two exploratory collaborators swimming into each other’s ideas, from Terry Riley-esque transcendence to late-night sax swirls shrouding Rossi’s distinctive voice in dimly lit psychedelic smoke.
The sum to infinity of a sequence is the sum of an infinite number of terms in the sequence. It is only possible to compute this sum if the terms of a sequence converge to zero. “sum to infinity” is also the second release from gamut inc, the retro-futuristic ensemble around composers and curators Marion Wörle and Maciej Sledziecki. This second album by Gamut Inc combines custom-built autonomous music machines with haunting classical synthesiser sounds to create a dense musical kaleidoscope. The core of the album is formed by Risset rhythms – cyclic accelerations and decelerations, in which rhythmic layers repeatedly fade in and out, setting in motion a seemingly endless process of rhythmic movement. The motifs are taken from geometric and arithmetic series that create urgency and restlessness. The rigour of the construction is obscured by an orchestra whose timbres are reminiscent of a retro-futuristic indigenous ensemble. Gamut Inc translate strategies of electronic music like pulse-width modulation to music machines such as automated accordion, automated percussion or glockenspiels and create an intense atmosphere that is idiosyncratic, original and modern at the same time.
After more than 45 years forgotten in the personal archives of Jean Schwarz, Transversales Disques is releasing this previously unpublished recording which brings together the great Don Cherry and his friend, composer Jean Schwarz, pioneer in electro-acoustic music and member of G.R.M. This concert was recorded in 1977 at the Paris MIX festival (Théatre Récamier) organised by G.R.M and hosted by director François Bayle. An elegant mix of spiritual jazz and electronic sounds around this astounding quintet made up of JF Jenny Clark, Nana Vasconcelos and Michel Portal.
Ma Spaventi is a wonderfully versatile artist. Over his decade-long career, the Italian musician has turned his capable hand to everything from ambient to techno. Once again, he is expanding his sound palette and challenging expectations with “Vicino Lontano”.
‘Advanced Process’ presents itself as a distinguished LP, oozing with Marcello Giordani’s innate talent to evolve the classic Italo Disco sound into consistently ear catching productions of the future. Crisp, analog drum machines and glistening synthwork are a constant. Giordani captivates you with compelling arrangements and considered hints to electro in the likes of ‘Metamorphosis’. Powerful vocals from Fred Ventura and Ready In LED feature on the two alluring singles ‘Mysterious Calls (In The Night)’ and ‘Fase Rem’. Encapsulating, intelligent acid work is heard in ‘Forbidden Pleasures’. Marcello’s clear love for analogue authenticity is at the forefront of this LP. Crisp, analog drum machines and glistening synthwork are a constant.
Around the year 1990, a group of producers gathered regularly at a space called „Blaues Zimmer“ (Blue Room), located at Bergheimer Strasse, Heidelberg. The Blue Room was the studio of Dirk Mantei aka Dman and David Moufang (Move D) calls it the one of the ‘Keimzellen’ (seeds) for what would happen in regards to the electronic music movement within the Rhein-Main-Area during the following 10 years. The 90s were roaring, with a lot of mid-sized cities located relatively close to each other- Heidelberg, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, Darmstadt- and Frankfurt was easily reached. Various highly influential clubs and parties happened around that time and Dirk and David had their parts. Between 2011 and 2021, they both found themselves in David’s Studio from time to time, Dirk was living in Mannheim and some sessions resulted in a bunch of yet unreleased tracks that slept on hard drives ever since then.
Itako hails from Strasbourg , France. His music creation speciality is blending an array of consciousness-expanding sounds over slower electro and technoid beats. His debut album “Broken Material” on SonicGroove splashes acid, dashes Body music basslines , and sprinkles Belgian New Beat over a ten song album creating a perfect concoction of sci fiction cyber psychodelia that will you drive you into unexplored dimensions.
Borgo Dora is a multiethnic neighborhood located in the centre of Torino. A perfect example of inclusion between different people from (mainly) the Mediterranean area and home to Porta Palazzo, the largest open-air market in Europe. In 1991, a newly born studio located in the middle of the district guided by Biagio Puma decided to give birth to a dance LP called Teknoafro with the support of local Techno dj Bart Spinelli. The title almost speaks for itself, mixing the Italian “Afro” dj culture and the new Akai samplers with 909-driven Techno rhythms. The result was impressive, giving birth to a quite unique recording that reveals many aspects of the ’90s Italian dance creativity and tapestry. Dualismo Sound comes with a fully remastered selection of 6 tracks taken from the original LP.
Keith Farrugia aka Sound Synthesis’ home base of Malta may not be renowned as electro central, but the consistent stream of superlative releases he’s made there under the name Sound Synthesis have certainly put him on the map. In keeping with the floor-aimed functional nature of his tracks, this eight cut selection is a double 12” rather than an album and indeed, wherever you dip into it you’ll find iron-cast electro manoeuvres destined to keep feet moving. A valuable addition to any electro DJ’s armoury, this set has the right tune for just about every moment you care to mention.
The Aussie master of the dark synth arts is back in full force as Buzz Kull with the third album Fascination. Early days of minimal wave seem far away now that Marc Dwyer has gone full Body Music with new full-length, but there is a thread that binds Buzz Kull hits from the past with these ten new cuts: a thread of darkness proper to the most handsome man in the game and that’s here to stay. Cause this record is not just about music subgenres we all know and love, it’s about a feeling that comes alive only with the dark and drives you through the small hours just to leave you drained and filled at once.
Anthony Rother presents his new electro double album, called AI Space. Experience the world of the digital mind and reflect yourself in this artificial construct to gain new information about the basic fundamentals of our reality.
◼️ ALBUM ONE (Title 1-11) breaks away from the classic Boom-Tschak drum sounds, makes massive use of the AR-Textur-Maschine and examines the field of Techno-Pop.
◼️ ALBUM TWO (Title 12-21) explores a dark disturbing world of the Roland TR-808 Drumcomputer in combination with heavy digital effect processing.
For his debut album Dip Shim digs deep into his past for his most personal release yet, drawing on his childhood in Spain for a genre-bending album of electronics, combining influences from house, techno, electro, downtempo, and ambient to create one of the year’s most essential releases. Dip Shim, who also runs the Bolero record store in Malmo, Sweden, pushes and tweaks those silver boxes to create music with one foot in the past but looking to the future, from the fluid acid house of Dalaplan Jam and Bubble Gate, uptempo electro jams like BDP Fast Life and Tusso Arcade Force, to meditative joints such as One For Regen and Impossible Connection. But although the album is eclectic, these 12 tracks are underpinned by Dip Shim’s unique hardware-led sound, proving he’s an artist with depth and longevity.
U-TRAX presents the debut album of Dutch producer w1b0, who sadly passed away in August.
Wibo Lammerts’ sudden death on August 15th shocked the worldwide electro community, and also left the record label, that had been working on the debut album with the artist known as w1b0 for the past two years, dumbfounded and in grief. Wibo had jokingly always called his upcoming debut album ‘his legacy’, which now sadly has become a painful truth. With the support of Wibo’s family, U-TRAX is now doing the only thing that doesn’t feel totally wrong: proceed as planned, and release ‘When Humans Ruled The Earth’. W1b0 made quite a name for himself with heavy electro tracks that he released on labels like Bass Agenda, Hilltown Disco and Discos Antónicos. Standing at 202 meters, and combined with a cheerful character, most people remember him as the gentle giant of electro. For this album, Wibo wanted to steer away from the dark and heavy electro he mostly made until then. The idea of having a platform to create delicate electronic music in different styles, and make it a showcase of his versatility, was very appealing to him.
Confused Machines welcomes one of the most eclectic artists around, Ian Martin. As an artist he is without genre or style, an open source of creativity. He is the host of SEER Radio on Intergalactic FM and also an amazing DJ, whether it’s experimental or dancefloor madness. Martin has released his music on acclaimed labels such as: Bunker Records , Pinkman, New York Haunted, Bio Rhythm to name a few. His 9 track “Grey Theatre” album for Confused Machines is a deep dive and playful exercise with his synthesizers. An emotional and mysterious listening experience. A portal to his soul. Melancholic at times, it flows like water and lurks from the shadows of reality.
J. Mono twists our sense of time again, coming up with the third installment of his ‘Redate’ series: an elegant selection of uncut tracks, roaming in the fields of electro, acid, IDM and EBM. Redate III in its digital format presents tracks that were written and recorded between 2014 and 2015. As the cassette version, it includes not only Redate III (as side A), but a collection of J. Mono’s various other tracks created between 2017 and 2021, that appeared beforehand on various compilation albums (as side B). In other words, with this fresh new tape you’re all set with 8 years of J. Mono experience.
WRWTFWW Records announce the worldwide reissue of Midori Takada’s solo album from 1999, Tree of Life, available on vinyl for the first time ever in a new audiophile mix by the Japanese percussionist herself, and in full half-speed-mastered glory. Originally recorded in September 1998 at legendary Ginza (Tokyo) studio Onkio Haus and released on CD only for the Japan market in 1999, Tree of Life is Midori Takada’s best kept secret, a lost gem of minimalism and percussive ambient. The album is separated in two parts, the first one finds Takada exploring her trademark environmental soundscapes with precise mastery of marimba, drums, and bells, notably on the magnificent fan-favorite ”Love Song Of Urfa”. The second half is a collaboration with Chinese virtuoso Erhu player Jiang Jian Hua, allowing Midori Takada to unveil new layers of her artistic mind with a slightly more theatrical approach and a beautiful crystallization of complex simplicity.
Morphine Records is coming up with a massive loader from Slumberland’s self-made instruments sounds, from the bullroarer to sewing machines an d self made organs, combined with legendary Tuvan throat singer Sainkho Namtchylak. “Lightkeeper” was recorded and mixed by Lebanese-Canadian artist Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem In My Heart, Constellation Records) adding his distinct touch to the production of this rollercoaster of sounds. Belgian musician, composer and instrument-maker Jochem Baelus has been unleashing his obscure, hypnotic krautrock embellished with distorted exotica upon us as Slumberland since 2013. After creating his signature battery of sewing machines, projectors and dismantled mechanical objects, Baelus immersed himself into the world of 64 year old voice-artist Sainkho Namtchylak and assembled a new sound sculpture inspired by her colour.
Mannequin presents an expanded double-LP of ‘Exploded View’ from minimal synth Dutch pioneers The Actor. Originally released in 1982 by Trumpett Tapes, the album was repressed for the first time by Mannequin Records in 2014, and now is coming back to life again in 2022, enriched by an extra full-lenght of demos from a 1981-1984 period. Singing both in English and German, The Actor songs are often related to modernism, fashion and dancing, like a sort of early incarnation of Depeche Mode but totally devoted to home taping and diy recordings.
The Hipodrome Of Music 